Refrigerator car



Dec. 15, 1942. w. E. SAILLIE 2,305,057

REFRICfaRAToR CAR Filed March 26, 1942 2 Shee'ts--Sheet` 1 Fly.

. y Inventor 'Wallaazll nu: Lg,

lfarlze DeC 15, 1942.' w. E. SAILLIE REFRIGERATOR CAR Filed March ze, 194,2l

2. sheets-sheet 2` Patented Dec. 15, 1942 REFRIGERATOR. CAR

Wallace E. Baillie, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Standard Railway Devices Company, Chicago, Ill., a

corporation of Delaware Application March 26, 1942, Serial No. 436,298

9 Claims.

This invention relates to refrigerator cars used to transport perishable commodities at a predetermined temperature. The essential features of a refrigerator car are an insulated body to prevent or retard ingress of heat during Warm weather and egress of heat during cold weather and a cooling means and sometimes a heating means to be used during warm and cold weather respectively.

This invention applies particularly to overhead bunker cars, i. e., to cars in which the cooling means, preferably containers for water ice, eutectic ice, brine or dry ice, are disposed immediately below the roof of the car. The lading is supported in spaced relation to the floor by a foraminous rack. Flues, preferably associated with the side Walls of the car, communicate between the cooling means and the space under the floor rack to provide a path for the circulation of air. The path is from the cooling means downwardly through the aforementioned flues, through the space under the floor rack, upwardly through the lading compartment thereby cooling the lading, and finally to the cooling means from where the cycle is repeated. l

The containers used in a car of this type are often foraminous to permit intimate contact between the air and the ice and are sometimes partially imperforate in order to retain all or some of the melted refrigerant; in the latter case salt is frequently added to form a brine with the melted refrigerant. The number of containers insuch a car varies with the size of the car and the capacity of each container varies somewhat with the type of service for which the car is used. For general purposes, each container has a capac- .ity of approximately 1000 pounds of ice.

The structural diiiculties encountered in the' design of a car of the overhead bunker type are apparent when it is considered that a large mass of refrigerant is disposed in the upper part cf the car. Furthermore, the refrigerant containers are cold and must be insulated from the outer structure of the car. Two types of structure may be used: first, the structurally strong post may be located on the inside of the car supported by and insulated from the underframe and the refrigerant containers attached directly to the upper parts of such posts. The second type embodies structural posts adjacent the exterior of the car directly attached to the underframe and the refrigerant containers attached to and in sulated from the upper ends of such posts. The

posts vare thus eccentrically loaded because it is il required that the means for attaching the containers extend through the wall.

My assignee is engaged in the design of overhead bunker refrigerator cars and most of the latest designs embody the above mentioned second type construction. Such construction includes outer side plates rigidly secured to the upper ends of the side wall posts to form strong Wall structures and inner side plates insulated from the outer side plates or posts and supported by overhanging brackets extending inwardly from such side plates or posts. The refrigerant containers are attached to the inner side plates. An object of my invention is to partially relieve the posts from the load imposed by the mass of the refrigerant, which load tends to be eccentric because of the overhanging nature of the brackets. I accomplish this by attaching the ends of the inner side plates to the end walls of the car.

A further object is to attach all the refrigerant containers to one or more common members and to attach such common members, which in the modification disclosed are the inner side plates, to the end walls of the car. End walls commonly used for cars of this type are comprised of metallic plates formed with a plurality of horizontally extending corrugations which have a high degree of resiliency and are, therefore, well suited for absorbing impact thrusts from the large mass of refrigerant.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will be apparent from the following detailed description by referring to the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

Fig. `1 is a transverse section of a refrigerator car embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a partial plan view of the car shown in Figure 1. The left side of Figure 2 is a section through the side wall while the right side is a view immediately below the roof and above the refrigerant containers, insulation having been omitted from the right side to more clearly show the construction.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged plan View showing the means for connecting the inner side plate to the end wall of the car.

Fig. 4 is a section on line 4-4 of Figure 3.

Ihe general parts of the refrigerator car shown are insulated roof A; sidewalls B; end Wall C; floor D; refrigerant containers E; hatch F for loading refrigerant into a container E; side wall flues G; foraminous floor rack H and space J between the rack H and the oor D. A refrigerant container E is positioned directly below the roof A and adjacent each side wall B. A drip pan K is provided below each container E and a partition L is disposed in an upstanding position at the inner edge of each drip pan K. The drip pans K and the partitions L cooperate with the roof A and the upper parts of the side tvalls B to form enclosures M around the containers E, air inlet openings N to the enclosures M being provided by spacing the partitions L from the roof A. Air discharge openings P lead from the enclosures M to the ilues G at a lower elevation than the air inlet openings N. The partitions L are spaced apart to form a duct Q which communicates between the lading compartment R and openings N.

Air circulation is as follows: Air in the lading compartment R is warmed by contact with. the lading and rises through the duct Q to enter the enclosing structures M through the air inlet openings N. The air is then cooled by contact with the cold refrigerant containers El and falls by reason of its lower temperature and therefore greater density through the discharge openings P and flues G to the space J whence it rises through the rack I-I to the lading compartment R. The above described cycle is thereafter continuously repeated.

their upper and lower ends to the outer side plates 5 and side sills 2 of the car respectively. The end wall C is comprised of a metallic plate 45 formed with iianges 5S and attached to both legs 48, t9 of the corner post members M. so as to form hollow corner posts. The end wall plate it is formed with a plurality of horizontally extending corrugations 5I which terminate and merge into the part of the plate which forms part of the hollow corner post. Vertical nailing strips E2 support the end lining and the insulation 55 is preferably formed in a continuous blanket extending from the side wall B around the corner of the car and into the end wall C.

rIhe ends 59 of the inner side plates I4 extend through the insulation 55 and terminate adjacent The side sills 2 are a part of the underframe ofthe car and also form the lower chords of e the side walls B. The outer side posts 3, which are the main up-right structural members of the car, are secured at their lower ends to the side sills 2 and at their upper ends to the outer H, the lower parts l2 of the reilanges il being directed inwardly to form seats upon which the wooden inner side plates lli rest. Spacers i5 The roof A and hatches F are are preferably provided between the brackets 6.;

and the inner side plates i4 due, in this particu.- lar. design, to the extreme thickness of the insulated side walls B. Inner posts I?, flue sheets Iii and side wall lining 29 are suspended from the inner side plates le and the lolwer ends of the inner posts Il are prevented from swinging by any suitable means. y

A.A plurality of v spaced apart container lsupporting beams 25 extend between and are secured by means to be hereinafter described to the inner side plates le. the end walls C of the car are comprised of channels 25 and the beams which are intermediate the end walls are I beams 28. The brackets 29 for supporting the beams 25 are comprised of flanges 3| which overlie the inner side plates l i4 and transversely extending webs 32 to which are attached the webs 34 of the container supporting beams 25. The refrigerant containers E include,as integral parts thereof, longitudinally extending channels 36, 3 1 which extend bei yoncl the ends of the containers. The channels 36, which are adjacent the side walls B of the car, are attached at their opposite ends to depending parts 39 of the beam supporting brackets 29 and the channels 31, which are adjacentthe longitudinalr center of the car, are attached to the container supporting beams 25 by any suitable means.

The corner post members 44 in the refrigerator car illustrated are W vshaped members secured at The beams 25 which are adjacent the end wall plate 55. Brackets 5E! are attached to the inner side plates I4, which brackets 69 are secured to the end wall plate 45 adjacent the corrugations 5l and also to the corner post members dii. During service movements oi the car, the large mass of refrigerant causes a considerable thrust longitudinally of the car, which thrust is transmitted by the inner side plates lll to the end walls C of the car, which end walls are peculiarly suited to absorb such thrusts.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the preferred form of the invention, though, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the exact details of construction shown and described, as it is obvious that various modications thereof, within the scope of the claims, will occur to persons skilled in the art.

I claim: f

l. In a refrigerator car, spaced apart side walls, spaced apart corner posts, an. end wall plateextending between and secured to said corner posts,

said side walls comprised in part of longitudinally posts, spaced apart corner posts, an end wall plate extending between and secured to said corner posts, said side walls comprised in part of longitudinally extending inner side plates spaced inwardly from and supported by said side posts, refrigerant containers supported by said side plates and means to attach the ends lof said side plates to said end wall plate.

3. In a refrigerator car, spaced apart side walls, spaced apart corner posts, an end wall plate eX- tending between and secured to said corner posts, said side walls comprised in part of longitudinally extending inner side plates, a plurality of beams extending between said side walls and secured to said side plates, refrigerant containers supported by said beams and means to attach the ends of said side plates to said end wall plate.

4. In a refrigerator car, spaced apart side walls spaced apart corner posts, an end wall plate extending between and secured to said corner posts and formed with a plurality of substantially horizontal corrugations which extend effectively between said corner posts, said side walls comprised in part of longitudinally extending inner side plates, refrigerant containers supported by said side plates and means to attach the ends of said side plates to said end wall plate adjacent said corrugations.

5. In a refrigerator car, spaced apart side walls, spaced apart corner posts, an end wall plate extending between andsecured to said corner posts,

f an end lining spaced inwardly from said plate',

insulation between said lining and said plate, said side walls comprised in part of longitudinally extending inner side plates formed of wooden members spaced inwardly from and supported by said side posts, refrigerant containers supported by said side plates, said side plates extending through said insulation and means to attach the ends of said side plates to said end wall plate.

6. In a refrigerator car, spaced apart side walls, spaced apart corner posts, an end wall plate extending between and secured to said corner posts, said side walls comprised in part of longitudinally extending inner 'side plates, refrigerant containers supported by said side plates and means to attach the ends of said side plates to said end Wall plate, said means comprising brackets secured to said side plates, said end Wall plate and said corner posts.

7. In a refrigerator car, spaced apart side walls each including a plurality of spaced apart side posts, spaced apart corner posts, an end wall plate extending between and secured to said corner posts and formed with a plurality of substantially horizontal corrugations which extend eiectively between said corner posts, an end lining spaced inwardly from said plate insulation between said lining and said plate, said side walls comprised in part of longitudinally extending inner side plates formed of wooden members spaced inwardly from and supported by said side posts, refrigerant containers supported by said side plates, said side plates extending through said insulation and means to attach the ends of said side plates to said end wall plate adjacent said corrugations.

8. In a refrigerator car, spaced apart side walls each including a plurality of spaced apart side posts, spaced apart corner posts, an end wall plate extending between and secured to said corner posts and formed with a plurality of substantially horizontal corrugations which extend electively between said corner posts, said side walls comprised in part of longitudinally extending inner side plates spaced inwardly from and supported by said side posts, a plurality of beams extending between said side walls and secured to said side plates, refrigerant containers supported by said beams and means to attach the ends of said side plates to said end wall plate adjacent said corrugations.

9. In a refrigerator car, spaced side walls, side wall insulation on the inside of each side wall, an end Wall extending between said side walls, end wall insulation on the inside of said end wall, an inner side plate adjacent each side wall which extends through the end wall insulation and is secured to said end wall, and refrigerant containers supported by said inner side plates, whereby the longitudinal thrusts on the inner side plates due to the service movements of the car are at least partially absorbed by the end wall of the car.

WALLACE E. BAILLIE. 

